Mind Games - Chapter 53 (Patreon)

“Well, you've managed to survive the first week,” Aizawa droned at the front of the class, looking us over with his standard bloodshot gaze as he sipped from a fluid ration pack. “In the process, you drove one of your teachers screaming from your classroom, destroyed an entire block of the testing ground you were assigned, and generally made nuisances of yourselves in every regard.”

None of us spoke.

Yoake, at least, was mildly ashamed of our conduct.

Sakae, in her defense, was trying to care, but also obviously distracted. I'd quickly picked up on the middle-distance gaze she adopted when she was playing video games during school hours using her quirk.

Sakura was slouched in his chair, watching the goings-on with an equally-vacant expression that owed itself to a different excuse. Still, he seemed to be following along somewhat.

Neiko, for her part, was paying attention, but also just couldn't be assed to give a single shit.

The hero-hobo sighed and rubbed at his face tiredly before pulling out a stack of papers from behind his desk. “Alright. This is what you're going to do. Last week was full of assessments. You all probably noticed that. I have your results here.”

He waved the stack of papers, neatly subdivided into color-coded sets, in front of us.

“You're each going to get your results and you're each going to grade yourselves,” Aizawa continued, looking us over. “I want you to look at the grading criteria I'm passing out with your assessments. Take them, analyze your performance, and write up a grade for each of the tests you took last week.”

“So we can just give ourselves a hundred, then?” Hayami asked, flipping her gray-silver hair over her shoulder with a jerk of her head.

Left unsaid was, 'What was the point of all this shit?'

But not unheard.

Aizawa shrugged and dropped the papers down on his podium carelessly. “Sure. If you honestly think you performed both to your own satisfaction, pushed your limits adequately, and grew your understanding of your own abilities? That's worth full marks.”

“Shit, it's another logical ruse, innit?” Usagiyama groaned, hanging his head back and staring vacantly at the ceiling.

Aizawa grinned his manic smile. “You can learn. Good.”

Yoake's hand crept up slightly, drawing the teacher's attention as he sipped at his ration pack before throwing it into the nearby trashcan. “Yes?”

“A-ah... wh-what happens if we do just give ourselves full points?” Yoake asked, fidgeting.

Aizawa snorted and shrugged, holding up his empty palms to either side of himself. “If you were honest? You have nothing to worry about. Part of what you'll be writing up will be justifying the score you gave yourself, so you'll need to make me believe you understand why you earned the score you did.”

“And if we just give ourselves an arbitrarily-high score that isn't deserved,” I drawled, “then you'll likely deduct an equivalent amount of points from the real – actual – score that you'll be giving us yourself.”

The rest of the class stiffened slightly, looking first to me, then to Aizawa.

The rictus grin was gone, now just a sly smile. “I'll exercise my authority as your teacher to decline to reveal anything beyond what's already been explained in that regard.”

Hayami frowned, no... more like scowled. “You know, I'm getting real sick of all these fucking mind games you're playing, teach. What the fuck's up with this?”

Aizawa frowned at my classmate and gave her a raised eyebrow as he crossed his arms. I prepared to reply, opening my mouth to do so, when Sakae surprisingly spoke up instead.

“He wants us to learn how to judge our own performance,” Sakae stated, frowning. “So that we don't have to rely on teachers to tell us where we should be improving.”

The pro-hero nodded once. “Half-credit. Anyone else care to take a swing?”

I leaned back as Aizawa gave me the slightest warning look, propping my head up on my fist as I planted my elbow on my desk. Still, I kept my mouth shut and let him play his game. The man had a point, after all. The best kind of student was one who took initiative themselves.

“Uhhh...” Sakura grunted, rubbing at his chin as his long ears twitched. “You want us to know when not to get in over our head?”

Beady dark eyes turned on Sakura. “Explain.”

The pink-haired boy shrugged. “I mean... if we know where we're at, and we know what we're fighting, we'll know whether or not we should fight, right?”

I blinked and slowly turned towards my classmate, my expression unreadable. “You've read Sun Tzu? Really.”

He blinked at me vacantly. “Who?”

I sighed and closed my eyes as Aizawa chuckled. “An ancient Chinese philosopher famous for his text, The Art of War. One of the most-quoted lines is usually abbreviated, 'Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.'”

Sakura frowned and cocked his head. “People, like... need someone to tell them that?”

“That's what you'll be working on for the week,” Aizawa waved us off, still smirking in amusement. “You'll have homeroom free as a study period to complete your assignment and make use of any resources available to you. Speaking of which, Shinso.”

“Ah, right,” I muttered, turning to look at my classmates. “I won't be here starting tomorrow, for at least a couple of days. I might show up for afternoon classes though, depending on how things shake out.”

“Heh, Class Prez is already skipping days at week two,” Hayami snorted.

“I've got a court date,” I replied with a roll of my eyes.

Sakura blinked, turning to me in surprise. “Whoa... what'd a guy like you do? Piss off a cop by correcting them too much?” Hayami barked a laugh while even Sakae and Yoake had to smother smirks.

“Your classmate is due in court to testify, not as the target of an investigation,” Aizawa sighed, walking over and dropping the stack of assignments on my desk. “He was apparently instrumental in discovering a significant case of quirk-trafficking a population of foreign heteromorphs through Japan, so it's highly likely he'll need to put his version of events on the record.”

Stunned silence swept over the class as I sighed, having been hoping to minimize my involvement in the case. “Thanks, Sensei.”

But Aizawa was already crawling into his sleeping bag. “You can thank me by giving your classmates the rundown of what you're going to be expected to do in court tomorrow and then follow up on it when you get back with your impressions. It's a bit early in their careers to consider something like this, but I'm not the kind of teacher to let a good learning experience slip by.”

“Or an excuse to nap,” I replied, standing up to pass out the assignments.

“That too,” he snorted.

I made quick work of handing out the thick stacks of print-outs and documents cataloging our performances over the previous week, earning sighs and interested looks from... well, it was pretty obvious which expressions came from which students.

Then I stepped up to the podium at the front myself. “Okay, so heroes sometimes have to do court appearances. Anyone actually care about the details?”

Sakae and Yoake raised their respective hands, the latter only after the former did. Sakura shrugged. Neiko shifted, but the look in her eye was of someone actually paying attention, not dismissing the situation off-hand.

“Alright,” I sighed, frowning as I organized my thoughts. “First off, I'll put in a disclaimer. Everything I've been informed of so far regards the Japanese legal system. I don't have a reliable source for the American one that doesn't boil down to a dry formal document that probably doesn't conform to real life or some rando's hot take on the internet.”

I got at least a few snorts from that.

“But you shouldn't be called in to testify very often,” I waved my hand dismissively. “At least in the Japanese legal system. Historically, the vast – vast – majority of court cases here are decided before they ever get in front of a judge. Japan has what is probably the single most draconian justice system in the entire world.”

That made my four other classmates jerk a bit, the slackers in particular paying much more attention.

“So, yeah, I'm not going to ever cover this on my channel because it's a fairly controversial take on the subject and would probably get shut down by the Endeavor Agency's PR team instantly,” I shrugged. “But the Japanese justice system has a conviction rate that exceeds ninety-nine percent. That means we've either created the most perfect judicial process of any nation ever conceived on Earth or we jail thousands of entirely-innocent people each year.”

Tatsuma wouldn't meet my eyes even more than usual, while Sakae very obviously shook herself and tried to respond. “Wait, what? I... I've never heard of that!”

“That's because no one likes to talk about it,” I stated bluntly. “It's a huge taboo in Japanese society to actually admit that, on a cultural level, we just really do not care about anyone accused of a crime.”

“Damn man... and I thought you went hard on screen,” Sakura chuckled.

“I'm just getting started,” I replied, deadpan, to which only Hayami snorted. “Most criminal cases will never go before a judge or jury, save for sentencing. That's because almost everyone who's arrested in this country will confess to a crime, even if they didn't commit one.”

“But that's crazy!” Sakae exclaimed, leaning forward at her desk. “Why would they do that?”

“Because there's a cultural expectation among Japanese people that, if you've been arrested, you must have done something wrong. Eve – especially – amongst the people who are arrested. That's the primary driving force, anyway, but it's not the only one. There are structural flaws in how the system approaches holding a potential criminal for questioning prior to an indictment. If any of you have seen American police dramas?”

I paused, then received nods and affirmative shrugs.

“Okay, if you remember that part where someone who gets arrested has their rights read to them? That comes from an American Supreme Court Case a few hundred years ago called Miranda v. Arizona. Basically, the court said that anyone being arrested has to be informed of their rights in the court system and that they don't have to answer questions without a lawyer present,” I explained patiently. “Which is why anyone with half a brain who gets arrested in America – innocent or guilty – does not answer questions without a lawyer present. Since I strongly suspect that if any of us go over to the US, we're probably going to end up arrested, you should probably remember that.”

“You think you're going to get arrested? Mr. Straight-laced rules-lawyer?” Neiko snorted. “Pull the other one.”

“I'm a huge trouble magnet, so yeah.” I nodded. “In fact, I'm honestly going to be amazed if I manage to get through this court appearance thing without something going horribly wrong.”

She looked doubtful at that, so I just shrugged and moved on.

“Anyway... the point of all that was to tell you that Japan doesn't have the same provision where you can ask for and receive a lawyer prior to and during interrogation. That's a big part of why everyone confesses, too,” I explained.

“They will let you talk to a lawyer if one shows up for you, though,” Sakura interjected, making all of us look at him. “Or... so I'm told?”

Yeah, even if I didn't have a copy of your criminal record, I'd doubt that, dude.

“Yeah, but you have to have someone who doesn't care enough about social expectations to continue interacting with you after you've been accused of a crime,” I nodded, then turned to Sakae. “Which, for the record, is pretty rare. Even for family of the accused. Generally-speaking, what happens is that you'll be confined to a waiting room that's more or less a fancy prison cell and only given the bare minimum in terms of food, water, and rest for however long they can hold you.”

“How long can they hold you?” Sakae asked, scowling.

“Depends,” I shrugged. “They can hold you for up to five days at their discretion with the possibility of another five days being added on with the consent of a judge – which they'll get as a matter of course. Then you can have three days added onto your stay for each charge you were initially brought in on. Realistically, you're probably looking at about a month in holding before they're obligated to either let you out or move forward with the charges without a confession.”

“But that means... you'll miss billing dates, probably a rent payment, maybe a car payment... and if you're in college, then you'll miss an entire month of classes,” Sakae muttered.

I nodded. “That's another big reason why so many cases in Japan end in confessions or convictions. Because at that point, your life has gotten so screwed up that, after being confined in legal limbo for multiple weeks and being constantly pressured by police to confess, you don't really see the point in resisting further.”

“B-but you're actually going to court on this one, right?” Yoake finally spoke up. “Th-that must mean at least some cases get tried properly, right?”

“Only if you've got bank,” Neiko snorted, rolling her eyes. “Or connections.”

“Not to validate her cynicism too much, but she's right,” I nodded at the gray-haired girl. “The... I'd have to check recent numbers, but there's something like a point-five percent chance that you'll manage to get declared innocent or have the trial thrown out due to a legal complication.”

“So... wait, you're going to court,” Sakura stated, pointing a finger at me. “That means whoever got fingered as part of the, um... trafficking operation or whatever, they've got the big bucks.”

I snapped my fingers and pointed back at him. “Yep. Shipping tycoon. He's part of the leadership of those 'totally not a zaibatsu' groups running everything. So he gets a trial.”

“That's... all of that's wrong,” Sakae stated firmly, shaking her head. “How can you be so blasé about this?!”

I tilted my head at her and responded in German, the same language she'd slipped into as her temper rose. “Because getting angry doesn't solve problems, it just makes you more likely to make mistakes when you try.”

That seemed to shock her out of her fit, but she still scowled at me. “Then what does solve problems?”

“Removing the corrupt from their position of influence, reforming the system so that no single individual or cabal of individuals can monopolize power, and ensuring those who have committed crimes are sent to jail,” I explained calmly.

A large part of the fight went out of her at that, and she settled into her seat a sullen ball of anger and unhappiness. “It still isn't right.”

“Then it's good you're training to be a hero,” I replied with a nod. “Because we're the ones who are supposed to make it right.”

Even Neiko and Sakura seemed to find a bit of steel in their spines at that.

“Now, since our teacher's either asleep or doing a good job pretending to,” I jerked my head at Aizawa, “he's effectively ceded control over the class to me. That means I'm going to continue working on each of your skills. Usagiyama, you're up first. I showed you some meditation in motion exercises on Friday. Walk through them with me and prove you've been practicing them.”

The rabbit heteromorph groaned, but slouched out of his chair regardless.

…

The middle of the night found me in a deserted part of town wearing my Perspicacious Mauve Avenger guise.

Holding the deck of tarot cards once again.

Normally, I wouldn't waste divination on what was effectively going to be a courtroom drama, but... for some reason I was nervous. The future felt... fluid, in a way I wasn't entirely comfortable with. Or familiar with, in this life at least. But there weren't any other sidereal exalted in this world.

What there were, though, were quirks.

Which meant that I was in danger of brushing up against someone – or something – which manipulated chance, fate, or destiny in some way.

Luck quirks existed, obviously, and that was the prime contender for what was muddying my feel of the potential future.

But it never hurt to be prepared.

And it was a good chance to attempt an actual divination instead of forcing fate to bend to my whims as I had with All Might, Eri, and Overhaul.

I frowned as the cards were revealed.

“The Fool and the Magician, both reversed,” I hummed. “Recklessness and trickery. Well, that's not good.”

But they weren't my cards, either. They were cards dedicated to an unknown third party, another player in the great game of life. Someone who was in my future, but not necessarily a part of it. Possibly just a figure in the background, or it might be the antagonist of a great plot against me personally.

“That's the hazard of simply observing the future,” I hummed, my fingers on the deck once again as I listened for the approach of an eldritch force I'd unknowingly angered.

Nothing yet.

I turned back to my cartomancy.

One of the greatest boons was that, without the Loom of Fate in play, I wasn't doomed to craft the future I saw. It was just one possibility in an endless sea of potential.

“The world around me,” I whispered, drawing another two cards for the spread. “The Hierophant, upright. Tradition and morality. The Wheel, reversed. No control... maybe bad luck. Or would that be the illusion of control?”

All three felt right? Damn.

“I almost don't want to know... but let's finish things out with my cards...” I stated, flipping out one, then two-

A third card slipped through my fingers and tumbled to the roof, landing on top of the initial two.

“Judgment and The Lovers upright,” I muttered, frowning at the third card. “And the Tower, laying across both horizontally.”

Judgment meant reflection or reckoning, usually awakening to some greater truth. Or having one revealed. The Lovers wasn't literal. Much like the 'Death' card, it's obvious meaning usually overshadowed the correct interpretation. The upright card spoke of partnerships, duality, and unions. None of those needed to be romantic in nature, but people liked to imagine that for themselves. No, it could mean something looser, like an occupational partnership. Or an ideological partnership.

And the Tower.

A powerful omen, when set against what was already present. A card describing a potential disaster, either suffered or avoided.

“A partnership tried by revelations in the face of potential disaster?” I asked the air in front of me, my eyes lingering on the bare few stars almost invisible against the light of Tokyo's nocturnal glare.

“Resolution?” I asked hopefully, flipping over one last card.

The World, reversed.

“Of course not, that'd be too easy,” I shook my head, picking up the cards and giving them a shuffle before boxing them and Pocketing the set.

The World was a card of fulfillment, harmony, and completion. It didn't necessarily mean that 'all would be well,' but it did mean that there would be a resolution. Whether that involved you getting back together with your wife or finding a divorce lawyer... well, either was a form of fulfillment. Many people found their lives more harmonious after escaping a failing marriage, for instance.

But reversed?

A lack of closure.

Whatever I was walking into wouldn't be resolved so easily.

Instead, it would be an open-ended matter, likely set to trouble me in the future.

But... the conclusion – or lack thereof – could just as easily refer to the court case instead of my own problems. Hell, they might not even be my problems, just something that I would have to deal with by close association.

As I vanished into the night, lacking pursuit by eldritch horrors, I tried to make myself believe that.

But I wasn't quite able to.

~~~

Man I hate tax season.

Uhh... other news? Hitoshi's doing stuff. Preparing for his court date.

Shadows on the horizon threaten to make this anything but a normal appointment, though.

Hope everyone's having a good week so far! Weekend's coming up soon, and I hope to have one last chapter before the month ends. Very likely to be Butler Boy.

Thank you again for your patience and support!